Ruff Around the Edges LLC

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Ruff Around the Edges LLC

Dog trainer & pet care provider based out of Hartford County that uses science-based methods only. Contact me to see if you are eligible for discounted rates.
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I was born with a passion for animals, and began training my own dogs within the first decade of my life. Over the years I turned my passion into a skill, spending over two years as an apprentice to a CPDT-KA certified behaviorist, then going on to eventually teach my own classes from beginner to advanced level for over a year. Now, I devote as much time I possibly can to private training, pet sit

ting, and dog walking. My goal is not to train dogs, but to train their humans how to communicate with their pet and help them exceed their expectations for their companion. I want every pet parent to walk away with the basic skills needed to connect with their dog and problem-solve with confidence. I have years of experience working in a doggy daycamp maintaining calm groups of sometimes upwards of 40 dogs, plus experience caring for animals of all kinds from birds to barnyard animals. I am also experienced in and comfortable with administering medications. I train solely using science-based force free methods and can help with everything from basic manners to complex behavioral issues. "Kindness is powerful."
- Victoria Stilwell

01/04/2023

I wanted to post someone who hasn’t been featured in a while, then I realized Leo hasn’t gotten his own post since he was a puppy! He’s grown up to be such a wonderful, silly, social guy. He’s still got more to work on but he is always excited to learn 🐾🧡

Click on his hashtag if you want to see his baby pics 🥰

10/02/2023

One of my favorite parts of the job is getting to help dogs meet some of their bestest friends 🥹 From left to right: Oakley + Bodee (brothers), Milly, & Ellie ❤️

06/10/2021

Who gave Otto permission to be this cute?!

20/09/2021

Moosey said she can’t wait for the week to start so she can have her daycare friends back!!

03/09/2021

Yes this was my last walk with Lola before she moves to New York and yes I cried saying goodbye to her.

Yet another client has the audacity to up and move away and I am tired of it, dammit!! I’m going to start suing for custody one of these days 😭😭😭

28/07/2021

Did you know my daycare pups get to go on field trips?? Sofi (bulldog) is here for a full day, so since Penny (frenchie) loves other dogs, Fi gets to come along for a 30-minute play date 🐶🐶

20/07/2021

This smiley girl is Luna, one of the newer members of the RATE family. Her mom would ultimately like her to do daycare and boarding, but for now we are focusing on bonding and getting to know each other first.

She’s a middle-aged Dutch shepherd and was rescued just a few months ago, so both her mom and I still have plenty to learn about her. So far she’s been interested in other dogs but it’s not clear yet whether that’s good, bad, or in the middle, so we’ll have to see 🤷🏻‍♀️ Pups are always full of surprises 💕

06/07/2021

An excerpt from an article by Mardi Richmond, CPDT-KA in :

“Just say no to bark collars, air horns, sq**rt bottles, and other punishments. There are several reasons I don't use this type of punishment...

First, I don’t like to do anything to my dog that is intimidating or that causes pain or fear. Shock collars work by creating pain, noisemakers such as air horns work by scaring the dog, citronella collars and sq**rt bottles work by startling the dog or creating an unpleasant sensation. I do not want to do any of these things to my dog.

Also, I don’t think they are particularly effective in most situations. I will confess that in my distant past, I have used all of these in attempts to curb [barking] behavior. While I sometimes saw a short-term change in the behavior, in the long run the barking always returned. (And the few times I have seen punishment effectively stop barking, a kinder choice would have worked as well.)

Finally, the fallout from using these devices can be significant. Shock collars can cause aggression issues, noisemakers can add to startle and sound issues, and sq**rt bottles can make your dog want to avoid you! Enough said.”

05/07/2021

Bamboo meets Georgie, a new addition to the neighborhood 🐶 Looks like I’ll be out of a job soon since she’s taking over the dog walking 👣

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http://www.ruffdogtraining.com/

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Who gave Otto permission to be this cute?! #RATE_Otto #snackleadernotpackleader #trainertips #trainertipoftheday #dogtraining #trainwithoutpain #kindnessispowerful #reactivedogsunite #muzzleupproject #dogtrainer #CTdogtrainer #dogbehaviorist #dogsofCT #positivetraining #clickertraining #forcefree #apdt #forcefreedogtraining #forcefreetraining #sciencebasedtraining #sciencebasedtrainingwithfeeling #professionaldogtrainer #rescuedogsofinstagram #adoptdontshop #rottie #rottiemix #muttsofig #shepherdmix

Bamboo meets Georgie, a new addition to the neighborhood 🐶 Looks like I’ll be out of a job soon since she’s taking over the dog walking 👣 #RATE_Bamboo #RATEvideos

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My Mission Statement

About Me

While I grew up surrounded by pets of all shapes and sizes, I began my professional career with pets back in 2013 in a doggy daycamp. Dog owners often told me I was their dog's favorite person, and I am positive your pet will be no exception! While working there I nurtured my love for animals and built it into a skillset through hands-on learning, mentoring trainers, and ultimately teaching classes of my own. I have been privately pet sitting and dog walking ever since, and I am also a trained grooming technician and officially a professional dog trainer since 2015. I have taught every size and age possible, including puppy class, basic to advanced obedience, as well as AKC Canine Good Citizen prep. I have transitioned to focus on private training one-on-one with my clients and dream of one day opening a facility of my own.

My Training Style

I am strictly a force-free trainer and use Positive Reinforcement, Negative Punishment methods. What does this mean? To loosely translate from psychological terms, “positive” means “to introduce” while “negative” means “to remove”. “Reinforcement” means “to repeat” while “punishment” means “to stop”. In other words, I give dogs things they like (treats, play, etc.) to encourage them to repeat behaviors I like and I take things away (attention, freedom, etc.) to phase out unwanted behaviors.